Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[Cocopjojo]

Chester Thompson and Phil Keaggy are world class musicians.  If that turned into a real project, that would rock my face.

Yep - most people outside of the Christian music scene aren't familiar with Phil (I wasn't for a long time) but he is legitimately one of the best musicians on the planet. And one of the few artists I know of who puts out more music than Neal. Yes, really. Phil often has 2-3 albums release every year, and that has been happening for like 25 years. Though, to be fair, most of them are stuff he collaborates on rather than writes solo.

[bosk1]

I don't know him, other than vaguely recognizing the name.  I'm a Christian who, for the most part, actively avoids the "Christian music scene" because I find that most "Christian music" is not really very Christian, and is often either (1) just platitudes without much substance and/or (2) full of Biblical-sounding stuff that isn't really Biblical/Christian at all.  Combine that with the fact that I don't find most of the music to be very good, and it isn't a winning combination for me. 

[HOF]

I don't know him, other than vaguely recognizing the name.  I'm a Christian who, for the most part, actively avoids the "Christian music scene" because I find that most "Christian music" is not really very Christian, and is often either (1) just platitudes without much substance and/or (2) full of Biblical-sounding stuff that isn't really Biblical/Christian at all.  Combine that with the fact that I don't find most of the music to be very good, and it isn't a winning combination for me.

Generally, same. I do know of Phil Keaggy, but have never explored his music really.

I was surprised to learn today that Chester Thompson lives in Nashville and teaches drums at Belmont, which is a small Christian college in TN. Have known some people who went there even but had no idea he taught there.

[Cocopjojo]

I don't know him, other than vaguely recognizing the name.  I'm a Christian who, for the most part, actively avoids the "Christian music scene" because I find that most "Christian music" is not really very Christian, and is often either (1) just platitudes without much substance and/or (2) full of Biblical-sounding stuff that isn't really Biblical/Christian at all.  Combine that with the fact that I don't find most of the music to be very good, and it isn't a winning combination for me.

Agreed on all points.

Phil Keaggy opened for Neal at one of the first Morsefests and I was super impressed with his sound and playing style. All I knew of him before then was his guest work on One.

You should check out Shades of Green and True Believers. If you like those then you may find the rest of his work interesting, as he has a lot of songs similar to both of those tracks. Shades of Green is basically what I saw live at Morsefest that impressed me so much. But if neither of those is interesting to you then you're not missing out on much by passing on him.

Shades of Green (start at 50sec): https://youtu.be/3wpn6LVxX0s?si=VBaUXWpNJN2mtqd1&t=50

True Believers: https://youtu.be/RGfGPcRZUjM?si=A08w6jjNdZzjSSVE

[Jamesman42]

I'm only familiar with Phil, and I've heard of Chester but that seems like an interesting jam session. Had Neal ever worked with Phil?

My brother, go listen to Cradle to the Grave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKyOMLTlUKQ

[ReaperKK]

I'm only familiar with Phil, and I've heard of Chester but that seems like an interesting jam session. Had Neal ever worked with Phil?

My brother, go listen to Cradle to the Grave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKyOMLTlUKQ

That was a fantastic tune! I need to give the rest of that album a spin.

[The Letter M]

Neal brings up the jam session with Chester on his recent IC Newsletter:

Chester and I got to hang out backstage at the Steve Hackett concert at the Ryman in November and afterward I felt something from the Lord that I should get with him and maybe do some music together. So, we had lunch in December and then I went to his house and jammed with him for a little while and right away it just felt like there was something there. Then he came over to my studio near the end of December and we improvised again and recorded it and it was really special. Lots of magic there.

We felt like we should invite some other people to jam with us and so we had Phil Keaggy, who most of you know, and Byron House who is a bass player who's worked with Robert Plant and all kinds of amazing people and he lives locally here in White House, so I thought that would be cool. Byron also played on the Testimony album. We had a jam session last week and it was inspired! We improvised many different pieces and I'd sing whenever I felt to sing. It was pretty extraordinary.

We're not sure what we're going to do moving forward. I haven't felt to discuss it too much yet but we're looking to have a Zoom meeting and talk about possibilities. So, pray for us that we will know the Lord's will and we will carry it out to the best of our ability!

-Marc.

[ronnibran]

Neal brings up the jam session with Chester on his recent IC Newsletter:

Chester and I got to hang out backstage at the Steve Hackett concert at the Ryman in November and afterward I felt something from the Lord that I should get with him and maybe do some music together. So, we had lunch in December and then I went to his house and jammed with him for a little while and right away it just felt like there was something there. Then he came over to my studio near the end of December and we improvised again and recorded it and it was really special. Lots of magic there.

We felt like we should invite some other people to jam with us and so we had Phil Keaggy, who most of you know, and Byron House who is a bass player who's worked with Robert Plant and all kinds of amazing people and he lives locally here in White House, so I thought that would be cool. Byron also played on the Testimony album. We had a jam session last week and it was inspired! We improvised many different pieces and I'd sing whenever I felt to sing. It was pretty extraordinary.

We're not sure what we're going to do moving forward. I haven't felt to discuss it too much yet but we're looking to have a Zoom meeting and talk about possibilities. So, pray for us that we will know the Lord's will and we will carry it out to the best of our ability!

-Marc.

Awesome, glad I joined the Inner Circle again (said sarcastically).  I didn't get the newsletter.   Guess it's time to cancel again/already. This also happened last time I joined, and I went months without getting newsletters and I ended up quitting the inner circle.  I was hoping this time would be different. I'd say it would be therapeutic to write Radiant Records but I won't have that satisfaction because I know my email will never get read lol.  At least they only got one month's subscription fee from me this time.  Bastards.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

i am not a christian but have no problem with his christian lyrics. same way i have no problem with the number of the beast or WAP

[Jamesman42]

The JLB avatar and the mere mention of WAP is hilarious to me.

[ReaperKK]

Wet Ass LaBrie

[ErHaO]

Just listened to Joseph pt 2 and had a good time. Did not hear pt 1, but I like this much more than Sola Gratia and the Jesus musical. Plenty of good vocal performances and some nice hooks. I actually enjoyed it much more than I anticipated.

[Metro]

I mentioned a while back that I was selling some of my Neal Morse CDs/DVDs. I still have 3 for sale if anyone's interested. Shoot me a DM.

Testimony 1 Live 2DVD

Testimony 2 Live in Los Angeles 3CD/2DVD

Alive Again 2CD/1DVD

[The Letter M]

Neal has sent out his February IC Newsletter and a couple of things:
-He's working on another singer-songwriter album, of which a few songs were played at the London Morsefest. He's playing every instrument and recording without click tracks. He says it'll be out this summer, probably on his Waterfall streaming app first, then on CD/Vinyl later on.
-The project with Chester, Phil, and Byron is moving forward, with album sessions probably happening in July. He wants to try and make this a crowdfunded project so it can be self-released, with more information on that coming in May.
-Morsefest 2024 *IS* happening, and while he doesn't have much info to give, he says it'll feature both Joseph albums, so if those are your bag, look forward to it! He says some key performers are already locked in (I assume he means some of the lead vocalists), but more info will be coming with dates eyed for November this year. It makes sense for him to do the Joseph albums since Mike will likely be unavailable this year for Morsefest.

-Marc.

[HOF]

A singer-songwriter album from Neal is more interesting to me than his prog stuff these days, so I'll keep an eye out for that.

The project with Chester and Phil could be interesting too!

[gzarruk]

Yeah, Joseph pt. 1 and 2 were a safe bet for this year's Morsefest as he hasn't done anything else to suit that concept lately.

I'm also really interested in his project with Phil and Chester. Sounds like a great lineup.

Hopefully, after the cruise, he feels the itch to write some stuff for Flying Colors again and he could do so remotely with Casey as IIRC they did for Third Degree.

[The Letter M]

Yeah, Joseph pt. 1 and 2 were a safe bet for this year's Morsefest as he hasn't done anything else to suit that concept lately.

I'm also really interested in his project with Phil and Chester. Sounds like a great lineup.

Hopefully, after the cruise, he feels the itch to write some stuff for Flying Colors again and he could do so remotely with Casey as IIRC they did for Third Degree.

I would love some Flying Colors, and I'm sure Mike could squeeze in a couple weeks for it sometime this year. And doing just a short FC Tour next year probably wouldn't eat into Mike's DT commitments either, so I see it as a big possibility if Steve, Dave, and Casey were all down for a fourth FC album.

-Marc.

[Metro]

Next Morsefest announced...

In 2023/24 Morsefest spread its wings to Europe and the UK. For me, it was a great experience to bring my testimony to so many people and many of you have told me how powerful those shows were for you.

So ... for the next Morsefest season, we've decided to do the same again and have Morsefest USA, EU and UK!

I'm delighted that for these shows we've been able to gather the key players to enable us to do Joseph in its entirety!  The plan will be that Night 1 will feature The Dreamer and then Night 2 will focus on The Restoration. For the rest of the shows on each night I'm going to choose some music that rarely gets a live airing - so there will be the usual Morsefest mix of surprises and familiar songs.

My core band members will be Eric Gillette on drums, Randy George on bass, Bill Hubauer on keys - of course we will have the Morsefest strings, horns, percussion, backing singers etc! Vocalists who've committed to all 3 sets of shows so far are: Ted Leonard and Ross Jennings - and more names
to be confirmed!

The correct details are: 
MF24 USA - New Life Fellowship, White House, TN - November 8 & 9, 2024
MF24 EU - De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands - November 15 & 16, 2024
MF25 UK - Trinity Church, Brentwood, London, UK - January 17 & 18, 2025


It is going to be AMAZING!

Watch this space for details of when the tickets are on sale!
Blessings
Neal

Another skip for me. Still haven't listened to either Joseph album.

[gzarruk]

They're very good (as is pretty much everything Neal is involved with) prog rock albums, but they're far from his best. I'm assuming Neal will be doing most of the guitars then?

[hefdaddy42]

Neither grabbed me.  Hard pass.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

Neither grabbed me.  Hard pass.

[Stadler]

Bummed; I had such a great time at Morsefest last year, I had kind of hoped it would be something to grab me this year.  Alas, no Mike, no album that I'm really into, and a hopeful trip to London in October, and I can't pull the trigger on this.

[bosk1]

Neither grabbed me.  Hard pass.

Same.  Which is a shame because I think the events surrounding Joseph's life are amazing, and I was really looking forward to seeing what Neal would do with this project.  As a musical production, it's just not there for me. 

[Metro]

They got the dates wrong in the original email, just corrected my post with the right dates. Doesn't seem like it'll matter to anyone here. 

[Trav]

I'm still trying to get into the Joseph albums. Part 1 I've listened to a couple of times, and part 2 maybe once. I feel like it's there, I just need to give it more time.

[OpenYourEyes311]

Definitely passing on this one. I am super interested in the other songs they'll play after the Joseph albums, though.

[Kram]

Zero interest from me as well. 

I see in the corrected dates email that Neal sent however, that he's currently working on "two" new albums - Do you think these are a new singer songwriter album and the project with Chester Thompson and Phil Keaggy?

[gmillerdrake]

Neither grabbed me.  Hard pass.

Love Neal and all the content and music he's provided over the years, but these just didn't hit home.

[ErHaO]

I like both albums, especially pt. 2. But for me Morsefest tickets are too pricey to consider going to them, despite me living reasonably close to the Dutch venue they picked. I do understand the pricing, given the production values for a couple of shows accross the world. But to consider that it must be legendary tier albums for me (for NM The Whirlwind and Similtude/Adventure, which have already been done).

Eric is a good drummer to my ears, but at the same time I prefer him on guitar and vocals for sure.

[Metro]

A few albums in the works, per the Inner Circle letter.

New singer/songwriter album, "Late Bloomer"...

How do you like the title and cover? Another great cover shot in my backyard!
I'm finishing up the Late Bloomer album, which I've been working on on and off for many months now. And I think the songs are really good! I hope you enjoy them.
As many of you know, I debuted some of the songs at the Inner Circle concert in London and they seemed to go over pretty well. The actual album will be available on waterfall fairly soon. I plan to release this on waterfall first and then get CDs and LPs made after that. So, the actual releasing of the CDs and vinyl of this 10-song collection will be on Radiant Records.

A new prog solo album...

I'm also working on a new progressive rock album. I've been writing some of this stuff by myself, but I've also been getting together with some local friends who are very talented guys. Philip Martin, Chris Riley, and Andre Madatian, with Nathan Martin engineering.
That's been really, really fun. We've been playing some music together in my studio, and I really feel like it's going to be something special. I'm looking at making a "normal" sort of prog album (i.e. not a concept album.)
Everything's feeling really good and we're moving forward. A lot of really great ideas are coming. I think you guys are going to love it!

And the project with Chester Thompson, Phil Keaggy, and Byron House...

We investigated the crowdfunding process and it was going to be a bit too difficult, so we are pursuing other channels to fund our record. And what I mean by "too difficult," is that it turns out that to successfully crowdfund, you have to offer a lot of different products to the people who are funding, and the shipping can really be difficult to anticipate and track.
The more we looked into it, the more it just seemed like it was going to be too much to take on, for us musicians who just want to play music, if you know what I mean. We didn't want to get too clerical.
Anyway, come on, we're all still excited to play together! We're exploring other options and trying to sort out the business end of things and still hoping to get together over the summer to record.

[HOF]

Feels like Inside Out should be interested in signing an act involving Neal Morse, Phil Keaggy, and Chester Thompson. Maybe they just don't want to go the record label route, but that feels like easy money for Inside Out.

[Mladen]

I'm actually looking forward to that singer/songwriter album. Life and times was really good.

[Metro]

But to consider that it must be legendary tier albums for me (for NM The Whirlwind and Similtude/Adventure, which have already been done).

I think it's possible that they do The Similitude of a Dream / The Great Adventure for Morsefest 2026, for the 10th anniversary of TSOAD.

[DTA]

I'm actually looking forward to that singer/songwriter album. Life and times was really good.

Definitely. That's probably the last Neal-involved release I truly enjoyed so something along those lines would be fantastic.

[Mladen]

Definitely. That's probably the last Neal-involved release I truly enjoyed so something along those lines would be fantastic.

I really liked The Great adventure as well, but no album since had an inpact on me as a whole.